


A Reign of Ruin (We Rise From Our Ashes)

by dreamtowns



Series: our hope is a weapon [4]
Category: Free!, Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Budding relationships, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Themes, established relationships - Freeform, recovery themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-07-03 23:40:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15829305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamtowns/pseuds/dreamtowns
Summary: A series of small prompts and scenes in between the events of My Blood is Poison + Ichor in My Blood.





	1. meeting furihata

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> anon asked: makoto meeting furihata?

Makoto’s world shatters when his siblings—little Ren and Ran—are kidnapped a few short days after their birthday. Two months after the Fall of Teiko Academy, the coincidence is too sharp, too jarring, and Makoto spends his days buried in news reports and channels, searching, hoping, for news. There is nothing. He almost drowns in his worry, his grief, until Haru drags him out of his bedroom for a swim. Now, however, they have been found. It’s been a year, and there are shadows in their eyes. They flinch at sudden movements, they move without a sound, and sometimes, Makoto looks at them and thinks the people the police brought home were ghosts instead of eight-year-old twins.

“Let’s go see Furi-nii,” Ren insists one morning as a cartoon plays on the TV. “Ooh, maybe Bug?”

Ran chews on a pocky stick. “Let’s see Furi-nii—but we gotta ask first, though.”

Ren looks at him and brightens. “Nii-chan, can we go see Furi-nii?”

Makoto blinks. “Who?”

The name sounds familiar.

“Furihata Kōki,” Ren replies. “He was with us in the Academy.”

 _Ah_ , Makoto thinks. Now he remembers. The news boomed with the scandal— _Teiko Alumnus and Local High School Student kidnapped in broad daylight_ , was the most prominent headline on all news channels up until their rescue.

“He was really nice,” Ren adds. “He would wipe our tears and – and sometimes, he’d sneak me his dessert!”

Makoto swallows, and he thinks he’s going to start crying. “May I meet him too?” he manages to ask. He would like to give his thanks, his appreciation, to Furihata, because Furihata was there for the twins when Makoto was back home, swimming and pretending as though the world was not falling to pieces the longer his family went without news.

Ran beams. “Furi-nii will love you!”

His sister hugs his waist, and Ren latches on to her shoulders, and Makoto goes for a hug because, well, his siblings were very tactile and affection.

He was not expecting the world to bend and twist and shudder in a kaleidoscope of color right before his very eyes. Air is sucked out of his lungs and his veins are dipped in ice water as wind pops his ears, waters his eyes, and then he blinks, and he stands on trembling feet.

“The hell are you?” someone questions brusquely. Their eyebrows are…certainly…interesting.

Ran and Ren tackle a brown-haired teen, screaming, “Furi-nii!!”

The boy— _Furihata_ , his mind tells him—smiles warmly at the twins. “Hey guys, how’ve you been?”

“Good,” Ren says, a little shyly.

“We missed you,” Ran yells, so exuberant and like her old self Makoto almost weeps from sheer relief. “Oh!” she says, realizing something, and points at Makoto. “This is our big brother, Makoto!”

Furihata smiles. “Nice to meet you, ah, Makoto-senpai.”

“J-Just Makoto is fine,” Makoto assures, hands flailing nervously. “Um.”

The twins’ chatter floats in the air as Makoto has no choice but to make himself comfortable on Furihata’s floor. The entire interaction is bizarre, and Makoto really, really wants a drink. Eyebrows gives him an appraising look and asks, “You play basketball?”

“I used to,” Makoto replies. “I’m more into swimming, now, but I play recreationally.”

Eyebrows grins and holds out his hand. “Kagami Taiga.”

Makoto shakes it. “T-Tachibana Makoto.”

“Nii-chan,” Ran yells, suddenly, and Makoto whirls around, expecting to find injuries or blood or — “Let’s play basketball!”

“I agree,” a blond boy cheers. Makoto’s mind short-circuits because _is that Kise Ryōta?_ “There’s a court a few streets away.”

The twins cheer, and Furihata sighs, exasperated yet fond nonetheless. The walk to the basketball court is close and the twins skip ahead, far more exuberant and loud and bubbly than he has ever seen them since they were discharged from the hospital, and Makoto cannot help but smile regardless of the circumstances he has found himself in.

“Sorry about that,” Furihata says as Kagami and Kise teach the twins the basics; Makoto leans against the fence, suddenly exhausted. “I should tell Ran not to, ah, teleport people like that.”

“Teleport,” Makoto hears himself say. “Is that what that was?”

Furihata nods. “Yeah. Ran’s, ah, ability is teleportation—Ren is fire.”

Makoto’s lips twitch. “That’s ironic.”

Furihata snorts and then his attention is grasped by Kise, who is holding Ren above his shoulders, and he sighs. “I’ll go make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Makoto hums. He watches them play, content to see the twins chase after the basketball and themselves. His knees still tremble.

“Interesting,” someone says.

Makoto startles and blinks down to see a boy almost a head shorter than him, eyes fixed on the handheld game in front of him. Despite the intense attention, Makoto feels like the boy is aware of everything around him.

“I’m sorry?” Makoto questions. “Did you need something?”

“No,” the boy says, glancing at him. Makoto breath is caught in his throat at the delicate slope of his nose, at golden-brown, cat-like eyes framed behind square-rimmed glasses. “Makoto, right?”

“I – yes,” Makoto says, faintly. “H-How do you—?”

“I know things,” the boy replies and then looks towards the court as Ren’s laugh floats in the air. His mouth curls upward into a mockery of a smile. “Hmm. Good. They’re adjusting well.”

“I – sorry, but,” Makoto starts, “what was your name, again?”

“I have a lot of names,” the boy says, eyes twinkling at Makoto’s perplexed expression. A phone rings, slightly muffled, and the boy glances down at his phone. “Ah. I have to get back to my training camp now, but I’ll see you later, Makoto.”

“Uh, right,” Makoto says because that’s all he _can_ say.

The boy answers the phone as he walks, voice fading due to distance. “Hey, Shōyō…”

Makoto blinks at his silhouette.

Fuck it.

He’s breaking into his parents’ liquor cabinet, disapproval be dammed.


	2. bonding ft. aomine and furihata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon: furihata and aomine bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> enjoy! sorry if there are any errors!

“Ah, hello, Aomine-kun.”

Aomine chokes on his sandwich, and whirls around. “What are you—when did you—what the actual _fuck_ , chihuahua?!”

The boy— _Akashi’s boyfriend_ , he reminds himself and almost chokes again because wasn’t that a shock; he thought the world was ending when Momoi told him the news—has the gall to pout. _Pout_. “I’ve been here the entire time, Aomine-kun,” Furihata replies and takes another sip of his drink. His lips curl in amusement, eyes shining when he adds, “I sat here first.”

“Huh,” he blinks.

Aomine did not know what to think of Furihata Kōki. When he met him, he dismissed the brunet as a threat. The teen was unassuming, and quiet, and _small_. Almost as small as Momoi, now that he thinks about it. Everything about him screamed normal, but, well—that wasn’t the case. He was an assassin, _born_ in the Academy that stole three years of Aomine’s life that he will never get back.

Furihata was a blood manipulator, and Aomine knew those types were considered the _demons_ of the Academy. The Unholy Trinity—Harbinger, Omen, and Reaper.

“So, uh,” Aomine swallows and clears his throat. “How’re you?”

Furihata raises an eyebrow. “I’m fine?”

Aomine resists the urge to roll his eyes. “I meant—you were just kidnapped, you know. How’re you dealing with that?”

Furihata’s eyes go blank, unfathomable, and Aomine is a little scared of what that could mean. “I’m used to the Academy’s cruelty,” he says in a quiet voice, fiddling with his straw wrapper. “But I’m doing well, I suppose.”

Aomine hums.

“What about you?” Furihata questions after a moment of silence. Aomine raises an eyebrow, and Furihata says, “One of your own was taken—how are you dealing with that?”

Through the chaos of finding their location, no one took the time to ask how Aomine felt. Normally, Aomine stayed far away from anything emotional because he wasn’t an emotional person. He wanted to fix the problem then and there, impersonal and distant. When Murasakibara and Furihata got kidnapped, that route had been blocked.

“I’m…angry,” he admits, and it feels a little freeing. “Really, really fucking pissed off.”

“Why?”

Aomine almost crushes his hamburger to pieces. “We were _safe_ ,” he snarls, a thunderous maelstrom inside of him. “We—we were free, and then Teiko decided they had the right to _take that away from us_. So, yeah, I’m mad. I’m mad for you, for that fucking giant, for those fucking kids who will _never_ be kids again because Teiko decided they had the right to take their childhood from them like they did with _us_ —,” he stops and scowls down at his hamburger.

There is a moment of silence, of consideration, and then Furihata stands and smiles at him. “Wanna go play for a bit?”

He didn’t do emotional but basketball? That was a language he would never fail to understand.

Aomine grins. “You don’t even have to ask, chihuahua.”


	3. first date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon asked: akashi and furihata's first date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> this is so short i'm crying 
> 
> please enjoy and im sorry for any mistakes!

Furihata notices them before Akashi. At first, he thinks it’s a mere coincidence that Kagami and Kuroko are in the same vicinity, since, after all, it _is_ the weekend, but then he sees—or, rather, _hears_ Riko’s voice float above the crowd. His lips twitch in amusement when he sees Mitobe and Koganei around a corner a few feet away from them.

Akashi’s eye twitches. “I see we have company, Furihata-kun.”

“We do,” Furihata agrees in a slightly friendlier tone. “I think it’s cute, how they fail at being inconspicuous.”

“They should never be assassins,” Akashi mutters under his breath, and Furihata can’t swallow his snort at the thought.

“They’d be horrible,” he says and then, instantly spotting Kise in another one of his outlandish disguises, entwines his fingers with Akashi’s. His teams’ reactions, and Kise’s, are hilarious—Kagami, Fukuda, Kawahara, and Hyūga sputter in protectiveness, disbelief, and, perhaps, embarrassment; Riko and Kise both sigh at the romantic gesture though Riko denies it furtively underneath Kiyoshi’s smile; Mitobe and Koganei give them supportive thumbs’ ups.

“You have a good support system here,” Akashi says as they walk closer to their goal—the bookstore they met in was having a sale on their favorite authors’ novels. “I suppose I can rest easy.”

Furihata smiles and then tilts his head to the left of them. “You have a good one too, you know.”

Almost inconspicuously, Akashi turns and blinks at the sight of Rakuzan, all clothed in ridiculous getups, watching them intently from a café window. Mayuzumi is among them, the only one not dressed up, reading a mystery light novel.

They look so amusing, both of their teams, so obvious in their attempts, Akashi laughs. It’s a laugh that makes Furihata’s breath catch in his throat, a laugh that floats in the air, a laugh that is so pleasing and husky yet light that they catch the attention of many strangers.

Furihata chuckles and says, knowingly, “You’re going to give them hell in practice, aren’t you?”

The glint in Akashi’s eyes should be terrifying, but Furihata is only amused. “It is only proper,” Akashi replies, smooth and daunting.

Furihata smiles. “Let’s go.”

There’s a bookstore waiting for them, nosy teammates or not.


	4. spilled nailpolish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> anon asked: unit miracle's reaction to Furihata's and Murasakibara's kidnapping

Momoi is painting her nails when Aomine bursts in her bedroom, eyes wide with panic and rage and _fear_. “Satsuki,” he barks out, voice rough and coarse, and Momoi gears herself up for the inevitable _help me hide a body_ when he continues. “Murasakibara and that fucking chihuahua have been kidnapped.”

She spills her nail polish on her carpet.

“What? When? Where?” she spits out, lunging for her computer. If it’s not too late, she could track the device she placed on Furihata’s phone, and then she pauses at a stray thought. She shudders and whispers, “Was it Teiko?”

Aomine plops down on her bed. “What the fuck do you think?”

Her fingers shake as she opens her laptop, but then she takes a deep breath and settles herself. Panicking will do nothing except exacerbate the situation. _Panic later_ , she tells herself. _You have two friends to find_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't realize how short this was, i'm sorry lol. i'll probably add another if i finish my essay early enough 
> 
> feel free to send in prompts via my tumblr (@sleepydekus) or via comment if you'd like!


	5. freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon asked: furihata and freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Enjoy!! 
> 
> this is also v short :')

 

Sometimes, he thinks he is dreaming. He wakes up in a room that is not a dormitory, a room that is quiet but not empty, filled with warmth and love and support, all the things he had before the Academy swallowed them in a melancholic maw of grief and visceral reality.

Sometimes, he thinks he is waiting for the joke. The punchline. For Masayuki to look at him and say, “Sorry, but I don’t want you anymore.” Furihata knows he wouldn’t blame him; he knows how much of a hassle he is—a teenage assassin who is more of a ghost than a human, an apparition that haunts the halls he lives in; a mere memory of a boy he never truly got to be.

But this happens only sometimes, because he has people to ground him. He is no longer a void of hurt and grief and rage. He has people who love him, who support him, who will always stay in his corner. The Academy may not be distant past, but Furihata thinks that, one day, they will be.  

“Freedom,” Kise once said. “What is that to you?”

Furihata remembers smiling, the memories of frozen pictures and smiles flitting through his mind, and he’d answered: “Bitter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy!!!! i will respond to your comments as soon as i can!! don't be afraid to send me any prompts/things you'd like to see in this AU, or if you just wanna talk about it! my tumblr is @sleepydekus and my inbox is always open!


	6. local cryptid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon asked: Furihata and the group chat / Akashi bonding w his father?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Enjoy!!

_I believe Takao will cease pestering you if you speak in the group chat for more than a second, Furihata._

The response is instant: _They’re all so weird, though. They changed my nickname to … “local cryptid” and I don’t know what that means. What does that mean, Akashi._

Akashi’s lips twitch. _It means that as you only chat at random times, you appear as mysterious and aloof as a “cryptid”._

_That’s weird. Why are all these basketball players so weird._

_I’m not weird, Furihata._

_You? Not weird? Akashi, when I said I hadn’t gone to the beach before, you appeared at my doorstep with a fully paid vacation to some resort for us and our friends._

_That was not weird, Furihata. I was being considerate to my boyfriend who had never gone to the ocean._

_Paying for an all-expenses covered impromptu beach trip for almost fifty people is weird, honey._

“And who are you texting?” comes the voice of one Akashi Masaomi. “They’re making you smile, Seijuurou.”

“No one,” says Akashi, eyes never leaving his phone as he types a response. “Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting, father?”

“Ah, I left them to Yamaguchi’s wonderfully capable hands.”

_It is not. Regardless, please speak in the group chat so that I may not have to hear Takao’s whining anymore._

  _Fine :(_

“Ah, who’s Kouki? And is that...a heart next to his name? Ah, the frivolities of youth.”

Akashi snaps to attention, glancing at his father, who leans over his shoulder. His heart rattles a little, eyes narrowing, but he breathes easier than before. 

(It is a little disconcerting, how narrow Akashi’s vision became, how numb his senses are, when Furihata is in the picture.)

Standing side by side, it is a little eerie to note the similarities he shares with his father. They share the same shade of red hair, the same eye color (though, Masaomi’s is a touch darker), the same slant of their nose and the same curve of their shoulders. The only differences is that his father is, frustratingly, over six feet tall, has his long hair tied back at the nape of his neck, and their personalities are…not the same.

Meaning, most days his father acts like a child rather than the head of a corporation.

Masaomi pouts. “Seijuurou-chan, I’m hurt that you don’t want me, your wonderful father, to meet your boyfriend.”

Akashi twitches. “How did you…?”

Mischief twinkles in Masaomi’s eyes. “I have my ways,” the man says.

“He had me investigate your constant trips to Tokyo,” Yamaguchi Atsuko comments as she walks by with a folder in her hands, dressed in a dark green pantsuit. “He was worried.”

“Yamaguchi,” Masaomi says, still pouting. “Stop ruining my fun.” 

She quirks an eyebrow.

His phone buzzes, and Akashi glances down to see a notification that Furihata had messaged in the group chat, aptly named “Let’s Keep It PG (Point Guard) Only”.

>  
> 
> **Let’s Keep It PG (Point Guard) Only**
> 
> Today at 13:43 P.M.
> 
> **#general chat**
> 
> **local cryptid:** Hello. Please change my nickname back to my name.  
>  **hawks:** KOU-CHAN!!!  
>  **kasamatsu:** Hi, Furihata.  
>  **hidekiii:** OUR LOCAL CRYPTID HAS BLESSED US.  
>  **fukui:** the cryptid has graced our presence.  
>  **local cryptid:** Please do not call me a cryptid.  
>  **punshun:** FURI!!!!! I keep forgetting my kohai is in here  
>  **local cryptid:** How do I change my name?  
>  **makochan:** No one tell him.  
>  **imayoshi:** Makoto-chan, that’s mean.  
>  **makochan:** stfu slit eyes  
>  **imayoshi:** :(
> 
>  

“I truly would like to meet him,” his father comments, a benign smile on his lips that Akashi doesn’t trust for a second. His father may act like a toddler on an energy drink, but his cunningness knows no bounds. “It is inappropriate for me not to.”

Akashi blinks, thoughts wandering to his father meeting Furihata. Skittish, quiet Furihata…who just happened to be one of the most dangerous assassins Teikou had ever created.

Not even Unit Miracle’s reputation surpassed Unit Star’s notoriety. Akashi might never stop being surprised at the knowledge that his boyfriend (his sweet, but dangerous boyfriend) is a blood manipulator.

 _“You’re both monsters,”_ Haizaki Shogo once commented, a cruel smirk on his lips. _“Ironic, in that poetic way, that you both gravitate towards one another.”_

“No,” slips out before Akashi can stop it.

“Why not?” The man whines.

“Are you a four-year-old?” Yamaguchi questions, amusement shining in her eyes. “Did I become employed to a toddler when I wasn’t looking?” 

“I can fire you for that comment, you know.”

“You can’t fire me,” Yamaguchi says primly. “It was in our contract.”

Masaomi blinks, opens his mouth, and then closes it, flummoxed. “Huh…you’re right.”

“Of course,” says Yamaguchi.

“You’re too…eccentric,” Akashi tells his father, who wilts at the comment. “Furihata is…skittish. You’ll make him run away.” 

“I won’t!”

“You will,” Yamaguchi and Akashi say in tandem.

>  
> 
> **Our Local Cryptid Has Returned**
> 
> Today at 14:12 P.M.
> 
> **#general**
> 
> **local cryptid:** … makoto?  
>  **hawks:** owo  
>  **kasamatsu:** do not.  
>  **hawks:** OWO  
>  **makochan:** hanamiya makoto. why?  
>  **fukui:** owo  
>  **punshun:** we played him before furihata!  
>  **makochan:** wait  
>  **makochan:** _Furihata?_ As in… furihata kouki?  
>  **hawks: OWO**  
>  **hidekii:** what’s happening [eye emoji]  
>  **akasei:** yes. what is happening?  
>  **makochan:** technically, we’re cousins.  
>  **local cryptid:** well...he is my previous guardians’ cousin…  
>  **fukui:** the truth comes out…  
>  **hawks:** I dunno what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that…
> 
>  

Akashi bites his bottom lip. There were many things he’d heard about Furihata’s subpar guardian before custody had been transferred to Kise Masayuki. None of them were good. In fact, most of them made him want to…have a word with Furihata’s ex-guardian.

“Oh, that’s a scary look my adorable son is making,” says his father, snapping Akashi out of his thoughts. 

Akashi twitches. “Please, stop embarrassing yourself, father. It’s unbecoming of an Akashi.”

The pout on Masaomi’s lips deepens. Yamaguchi sighs, exasperated, and Akashi internally echoes the sentiment. 

Looking at his father’s behavior, no one would think he created a corporate monster from the ground (at sixteen, contrary to popular belief).

It made the man all the more dangerous. A snake lying in wait, camouflaged by the scenery. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. Waiting for the perfect moment to sink its’ teeth into its’ prey.

Akashi, all of a sudden, is quite glad his father is not an assassin. 

The world would not have survived.

“Actually, there is something you can do for Furihata,” Akashi says, quiet contemplation and a gleam in his eyes, not so dissimilar to his father. “Can you look into whom his ex-guardian is?”

  
  



	7. a mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon asked: harbinger doing a mission with his old unit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Enjoy! This has flashbacks of an old mission Furihata had done! 
> 
> TW: implied murder / violence / child abuse / child death 
> 
> remember, you're always free to request anything you'd like to see for this AU whether in the comment section or at my tumblr @sleepydekus !

Sun’s voice crackled over their comms unit.  _ “There’s a sniper at Vision’s three o’clock,”  _ he said, quietly.  _ “Pitcher, you’re closest to the target. Glutton, watch out for that guard around the corner.” _

Soft murmurs of acknowledgement rose in his ears. Harbinger breathed slowly, softly, his back pressed against the wall. Over the comms unit, he heard the muffled sounds of Pitcher taking out the sniper, and Glutton quietly assassinating the guard blocking their path. Astral typed away at various computers, hacking into the security system, deleting the video feeds betraying their entry, eyes scanning the digital blueprints of the building.

Harbinger crept around the corner, and came face to face with a gun, and a terrified civilian. Those were never good combinations.

_ “Harbinger, watch out _ _ — _ _!” _

*

“What’s that?” Sachiko points at the picture in Furihata’s hands.

Furihata blinks himself back to awareness. “Ah...this is my family.” 

Sachiko kneels beside him, bright eyes peering intently at the faces in the photo. “You all look really young in this,” she says, very quiet and solemn. 

Furihata’s lips twitch. “Yeah. This was taken after, hmm, I think our first time on an S Level Mission.” At Sachiko’s puzzled blink, Furihata explains Teiko’s mission level category. 

She hums once he’s finished. “That’s...wow…” 

Furihata nods, turning back to the picture. His eyes map out the outline of Vision’s laugh, the way Pitcher bandaged one of Sun’s wounds, the way Glutton beamed at the picture, arms wrapped around Furihata’s neck.

God, they were so young in that picture.

How sad it was, then, that those little boys had no idea about the death and despair in their paths. 

*

Blood stained the hallway, dripping carelessly from the puncture wounds. Harbinger hissed underneath his breath, one hand pressing against his injured side. The civilian was dead, their eyes wide and unseeing, body mangled and broken. The gun was tucked away in his clothes, securely hidden. Harbinger strode forward, listening to Sun’s soft relief and quiet orders.

_ “You’re closing in on the target’s room, Harbinger,”  _ Sun explained.

_ “I’ll get rid of the body,”  _ Mushroom said, gliding down the hall on hunter’s feet.  _ “I’ll get rid of the blood, too.” _

“Thanks,” Harbinger murmured. 

He took a moment to wrap his wound securely, and riding his clothes of any bloodstains. As he approached the locked door, he adopted a mask of a nervous yet eager teen. The men guarding the door looked at him dismissively, underestimating him as a threat. 

“U-Um,” Harbinger said. He spoke as if he were nervous, and trembled as if he wasn’t sure if he were afraid or excited. “I-Is this Y-Yamamoto-san’s room? He told me to come here?”

One of the guards smirked. “Oh, I  _ see _ , you’re one of Mitsuki’s boys, huh?”

Harbinger nodded. Inwardly, he shuddered at the way they stared at him. Behind the walls of the Academy, Astral threatened to gouge their eyes out. To that, Vision called dibs.

“One minute,” the guard told him before slipping inside the room. “Alright,” he said, motioning for Harbinger to come forward once he stepped back outside. “He’ll see you now.”

“Th-Thank you,” Harbinger smiled.

The guard waved him away, and Harbinger slipped inside the room. His target was a conventionally handsome man — dark eyes and dark hair artfully streaked with gray. A muscled, lean physique. A mouth-watering smirk. He looked at Harbinger and smiled at the innocent, youthful appearance before him. “Ah,” he said. His voice was low. “You must be Akane-kun?”

Harbinger nodded. “Y-Yes, sir.”

Yamamoto smiled. “Come here, don’t be shy."

He was being underestimated — the man before him was a man who saw a teenager, an eager yet naïve boy. He did not see the threat Harbinger possessed. He did not see the weapons hidden up the sleeve of his jacket. He saw a boy trembling with nerves. He saw a boy who stuttered. He did not see a boy who will be the last thing he ever saw.

Harbinger smiled, and walked forward.

*

“You look,” says Sachiko, “really sad, Furi-nii.” 

Furihata blinks, and then rubs the back of his neck. “Ah, I do?” 

Sachiko nods and then asks, “Why?”

“After this mission,” Furihata says after a moments’ pause, “Astral -- the black-haired one there -- supposedly died on a solo mission in America.”

Sachiko’s eyes widen, but then she narrows them as Furihata’s words register in her mind. “Supposedly?” 

“Yeah, he’s alive,” Furihata explains. “It’s Himuro.” 

“Oh!” Sachiko leans forward to inspect the picture, a crease in her brow. “He looks different,” she comments, biting her bottom lip. “His hair’s longer.”

“It was,” Furihata agrees, his childhood memories floating to the front of his mind, wistful nostalgia curling in his veins. “We had fun putting it in different hairstyles.” 

“Do you miss them?” 

*

“Mission complete,” Harbinger said. 

He wiped the blood off his hands with Yamamoto’s suit, and stared down at the corpse with emotionless eyes. Outside the room, he heard quiet yelps of pain and shock, and the accompanying thud of bodies. The door opened, and a shock of blond hair poked inside.

“Time to get moving, Harbinger,” Glutton chirped. He blinked down at the corpse, and snickered, “Someone was feeling bloodthirsty today.”

Harbinger rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Glutton. Let’s get moving.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Glutton said with a salute. He bounced forward, wrapping an arm around Harbinger’s waist, and the world shifted.

*

“Furi-nii?” Sachiko implores. “Do you miss them?”

“Yeah…” Furihata whispers, eyes memorizing the soft smile on Sun’s face. “I don’t think there’s a day that passes where I don’t miss them.” 


	8. Seirin’s Dynamic Duo (Deleted Scene from My Blood Is Poison)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> remember, you're always free to request anything you'd like to see for this AU whether in the comment section or at my tumblr @sleepydekus !

“Wait,” says Fukuda, blinking slowly at the quiet smile on Furihata’s face. “Wait, wait, I’m missing something here.”

Furihata pauses. “Um.”

“You,” Fukuda points accusingly, and a sheepish smile blooms on Furihata’s lips. “You’re dating someone!” 

“Uh,” says Furihata. There is an alarmingly pink color dusting across the bridge of his nose. 

“You’re  _ what!”  _ Kawahara almost shrieks, the food in his mouth spaying on the concrete. He ignores Fukuda’s complaints and plows onward: “FURI,” he wails, “How could you not tell me? You’re big brother?”

“My what?” Furihata says, bewildered. 

“Yeah,” Fukuda agrees. “ _ Both _ your big brothers? I told you when I got a date! And you listen to Koichi’s complaints about being single all the time!”

“Yeah,” says Kawahara, and then: “Oi!”

“What?” Fukuda defends. “I’m right!”

“I don’t complain  _ all the time!” _

“You do,” Fukuda responds flatly.

Kawahara looks at Furihata, who nods, and wilts. “You guys are just being mean,” Kawahara pouts. “Mean and  _ in relationships!” _

Fukuda and Kawahara turn their attention back onto Furihata with alarming intensity. “So,” says Fukuda, bristling and protective. “Who is it?”

“Who’s what?” asks Furihata, an innocent look on his face. 

“Who are you dating?” Fukuda expounds.

“Someone,” says Furihata. His phone buzzes with a text, but he doesn’t look at it. Keeps his gaze on his two self-proclaimed ‘big brothers’. “You don’t need to be worried — he’s sweet.”

“A boy?” Kawahara says. “You’re dating a boy?” 

Furihata’s face turns unreadable. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course not,” Fukuda denies. 

“Nope,” says Kawahara. “It just means I can punch him if he hurts you!”

Furihata blinks, and amusement crawls over his face. “Um…” he says, “I don’t think you want to do that.” 

“If he doesn’t hurt you,” says Kawahara simply, “then I won’t have a reason to.”

“Defending Furi aside,” Fukuda attempts to bring back the main topic of this conversation. “Who is it?” 

“If you don’t tell us, I’m gonna be really suspicious and think you’re dating some creepy old man who lives in some abandoned—,”

“He isn’t creepy, or old,” Furihata interrupts with a frown. “He’s our age...a little older, though.”

“How old?” Fukuda asks with an infinite amount of patience. 

Kawahara has no such thing. “I’m calling Coach!”

Furihata sputters. 

_ “How old?”  _ Fukuda repeats.

“Just a few months older,” Furihata explains, and there’s an echo of a smile on his face. “You don’t need to worry.”

“We do,” Fukuda responds solemnly.

“Yeah,” Kawahara says, and then adds, “You’re, like, so tiny.”

“I’m not that short,” Furihata protests.

“Short enough,” Kawahara responds. “And you look like a strong wind will blow you over—.”

“I do not—.”

“ _ And _ ,” Kawahara plows onward, “You’re emotionally vulnerable, so it’s our job to look out for you, Furi! Isn’t that right, Coach?”

From the other end of the phone, Riko squawks, “ _ What the hell are you talking about, first-year brat?” _

Kawahara pouts at the nickname, but says, hotly, “Furi has a boyfriend! And he isn’t telling us who it is!”

_ “He has a boyfriend!?” _

More voices float from the phone, and through the cacophony Furihata recognizes Kiyoshi and Hyuuga. He stares at them, a little distant and hollow, and asks, “Why are you acting like this?”

_ Like it’s a personal threat. Like it’s the end of the world. A life or death situation.  _

“Like what?” Fukuda tilts his head. “We care about you, Furi. We’re serious when we say that you’re like our little brother.”

“And as your big brothers,” Kawahara adds as-matter-of-factly, “it’s our job to protect you from the nefarious youth.”

Fukuda blinks, impressed. “Wow, I didn’t know you knew that word.”

“Hey!” 

_ “Oi, Furihata!”  _ Riko yells.  _ “That boyfriend better treat you right!” _

Furihata smiles and takes a bite out of his tofu. Fukuda sputters, “Don’t just stuff your mouth — tell us who your boyfriend is!”

“No,” Furihata says once he swallows.

Fukuda and Kawahara erupt into dramatic whines and cries of betrayal, but Furihata isn’t moved. 

There are very few things Furihata has to his name, has called  _ his _ , because the Academy liked to take everything he loved from him, so he thinks no one can blame him for wanting to keep Akashi to himself, just for a little while longer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually a deleted scene from My Blood is Poison (My Veins Are Death), but i didn’t put it in due to pacing issues. And when I wrote Ichor In My Blood, I realized that Seirin still didn’t know that Akashi and Furihata were dating :)


	9. strawberry milkshakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> remember, you're always free to request anything you'd like to see for this AU whether in the comment section or at my tumblr @sleepydekus!

It isn’t as though the Academy deprived them of food. If anything, they had a large array of selections to choose from. They were limited, though, to traditional foods and drink. Their mealtimes were strict, and they weren’t allowed to cook their own foods. For those who weren’t year-round students, that wasn’t a problem. They had a home to go back to during school breaks where they could delve into the sweets and cuisine the Academy forbid.

Harbinger, amongst various others who were in the same situation as he, did not have that luxury. 

Most missions were accompanied by an overseer, usually a Captain of the Unit, or a General of the Squadron. Sometimes, an alumni looked over them. Harbinger liked it when an alumni oversaw his mission.

They were more likely to look the other way if he slipped away for a moment of peace.

His favorite alumni was Duchess (much to Reaper’s chagrin, but Harbinger didn’t want to open that can of worms at all), who was a college student by the time Harbinger entered his second year of middle school. 

No one knew, but when Harbinger went Out, he rebelled in the smallest of ways. He didn’t do anything big, but they were small and unobtrusive. Tiny enough that the Academy thought he was still their mindless, obedient assassin.

Sometimes, he would slip into a movie theatre to catch a few minutes of whatever movie looked interesting. Sometimes, he would sit in a park and simply breathe. 

But the days he felt most mischievous, he purchased a milkshake. A strawberry flavored one, as they were his favorite. 

The Academy would kill him if they discovered the things he’d done, but drinking milkshakes would always be the way Harbinger showed rebellion.

(Years later, Kagami would ask him why he liked strawberry milkshakes so much, and Furihata would smile and say:

“They taste like freedom.”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to explore a bit more Furihata’s love for all things strawberry! I’ve seen your requests/prompts in the comments, and I will be posting them as soon as I can! Thank you for your support!


	10. akashi’s boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> remember, you're always free to request anything you'd like to see for this AU whether in the comment section or at my tumblr @sleepydekus!

When Aomine first heard that Akashi and Furihata went on a date, he laughed for three hours. Kise, who delivered the news, still dressed in a ridiculous disguise, puffed his cheeks in anger. “Aominecchi,” he says, bristling and flushed, “It’s not a laughing matter! We must support Akashicchi into his first foray of love — Ahominecchi,  _ stop laughing!” _

Aomine doesn’t, simply laughs harder at Kise’s words. 

His guardian, Imayoshi Shigeru, appears in the doorway with raised eyebrows. “Everything alright, boys?”

Aomine continues to laugh.

Kise scrunches up his nose. “Aominecchi is just being an ass, Shigerucchi.”

Shigeru snorts. “About what?”

“Akashicchi and Furihatacchi are in a relationship,” Kise explains in a bright tone, practically sparkling. “And we have to support the both of them!”

Shigeru blinks at the names. “Furihata...as in the kid who was kidnapped a while ago?”

Kise nods. 

Aomine wheezes, wiping his eyes, and says, “The two most deadliest assassins are dating each other —  _ I can’t!”  _ He collapses back into laughter. 

Kise pouts, and then he blinks at Shigeru. “Yeah, Furihatacchi is assassin as well! He was born in the Academy, though, unlike us who enrolled during middle school.”

Shigeru frowns, and Kise smiles, a little sad, at the thoughts he hears from the older man.

“I give it a week before they try to kill one another,” says Aomine.

Kise sputters. 

_ “Aominecchi!” _

*

Momoi seems to know Akashi is in a relationship before Akashi himself knows. 

“Oh, this is great, Akashi-kun,” she says, gleeful, “You and Furi-chan compliment each other very well!”

“Thank you, Momoi,” Akashi says, quiet and contemplative. Momoi beamed on the other end of the video call. This was a new environment for them (the Academy was a dangerous place for romance), so Momoi is very happy for her friend. 

“Are you going to tell your team?” Momoi asks with a head tilt. “What about your father?”

It takes a moment for Akashi to respond, gathering his thoughts. “I will tell them, one day,” Akashi murmurs, “but I think I would like to keep Furihata to myself for a bit longer.”

Momoi coos, but nods. “I understand,” and, in a serious tone, adds, “you don’t need to tell anyone you don’t want to if you’re not ready.”

Sensing his slight discomfort, Momoi then starts discussing her opinions on the newest developed technology, and Akashi’s smile is relieved. 

*

Midorima blinks. “I apologize, what did you just say?”

Kuroko takes an idle sip from his milkshake. “Akashi-kun and Furihata-kun are in a relationship,” he repeats, and when Midorima remains quiet, continues, “They are romantically involved—.”

“I know what it means,” Midorima snaps.

Kuroko hums and takes another sip. “Midorima-kun looks confused.”

Midorima opens his mouth, but closes it. “I hadn’t realized Akashi was...interested in Furihata,” he responds. 

Kuroko gives him a flat look. “He didn’t exactly keep his interest quiet, Midorima-kun.”

Midorima flushes. 

Now that his thoughts are more clear, yes, Akashi had never been shy about his romantic pursuit of Furihata. Midorima should’ve known something like his would be in the future, ever since Akashi asked Momoi for Furihata’s contact information. 

“I am just...surprised,” he says, slowly.

“They will be good for one another,” Kuroko comments after a moments’ pause, and his eyes darken. “The Academy treated Akashi-kun horribly, because they deemed him the greatest threat in our Unit—I can only imagine what Furihata-kun went through, being the third blood manipulator.”

Midorima tries to swallow around the ball in his throat. “Yes, well,” he begins and then clears his throat, fixes his glasses. “The best we can do is support them.”

Kuroko nods, and hides his smile behind his milkshake. “Of course”. 

*

“Ah,” Murasakibara stares down at his phone, and Himuro glances at him, concerned, as he’d stopped chewing on his pocky stick. “Aka-chin and Furi-chin are dating.”

Himuro blinks, and then an expression of utter delight spreads over his face. “Oh, really?” He says. “That’s wonderful.” 

“Mm,” Murasakibara hums around his candy. “That’s good.”

Himuro tilts his head. “What are you thinking about, Atsushi?”

Murasakibara takes a moment to reply. “Aka-chin hurt a lot in the Academy, and I know that Furi-chin did too.”

Himuro waits, patient.

“I guess I just want them to be happy,” Murasakibara murmurs. 

“Yeah,” Himuro says, mind flashing back to the broken look in Furihata’s eyes when they reunited. “Me too.” 

“And they’re both so tiny,” Murasakibara says in a slightly awed tone.

Himuro laughs. 

“Eh, don’t tell Aka-chin I said that. He gets scary when you comment on his height.”

“I won’t,” Himuro assures, pulling out his phone.

Murasakibara raises an eyebrow. “What’re you doing?”

Himuro sends the text quicker than Murasakibara can read the message, and he smiles at his boyfriends’ pout. 

“It’s nothing,” Himuro smiles in  that pretty, distracting way. “Just a little warning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @TheMadCatQueen69 suggested Kuroko knowing Akashi and Furihata are dating, so I thought of this!


	11. questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Kuroko no Basuke | The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays. It belongs to its’ mangaka, Fujimaki Tadatoshi. This is for entertainment purposes only.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> remember, you're always free to request anything you'd like to see for this AU whether in the comment section or at my tumblr 
> 
> Anyway, sorry for being so absent! I got a job and I started school again so it’s been hectic. I changed my tumblr (long story) so you can find me at @dreamvevo!

“Does it ever get easier?”

Nagisa blinks at the sudden question, and turns to see Momotarou sitting next to him. Nagisa settles his chopsticks down, and doesn’t ask how the teen got onto Iwatobi High’s roof when he’s, technically, enrolled in the prestigious school an hour away from their hometown. 

“Momo-chan,” he greets instead, head tilting, smile warm but his eyes are sharp. “Does what get easier?”

He knows the answer before Momotarou opens his mouth. There’s only one reason for the younger boy to seek him out, after all. 

“Living...breathing…” Momotarou says, quietly, but Nagisa hears him just fine. “Knowing that you survived—when...when others didn’t. Does it get easier?”

Nagisa laces his fingers together and hums. “In a way, it does,” he says after a moment of thought. “But it isn’t going to be easy. The Academy...it takes over your life so quietly, consumes your every thought and move, sometimes...sometimes it—,” he stops, the words lodging in his throat, and sighs. “Sorry, I don’t think I’m even making sense.” 

“Sometimes it feels as if you’re little more than a ghost,” Momotarou finishes quietly. “Like the Academy carved your heart out of your chest, and placed shattered glass inside you and called it a day.” 

“Yeah,” Nagisa echoes, fingers curled around his chopsticks. “Just like that.”

Momotarou slumps down next to him, arms wrapped around his waist, knees pulled up to his chest. “I hate them,” he whispers hoarsely, like he has a dry throat. “I hate them so much. Why’d they do this to us, Nagisa-senpai? Why —  _ why?” _

_ They wanted to create the perfect human,  _ Nagisa thinks,  _ the perfect assassin. They wanted to see how far they could go, how far we could break.  _

What he says is this: “I don’t know.”

Momotarou sniffles. 

Peaceful silence floats between them, and Nagisa polishes the rest of his food. Rei and Gou are somewhere inside the school building, probably fighting with the student council to get more funding. A pool heater would be nice. 

“I can’t — really see anymore, after what they did.” Momotarou breaches the silence. “I—I can’t even swim anymore.”

Nagisa says nothing. He knew this was coming. Momotarou internalized his trauma, and stuffed it away into a box until it grew and festered, and threatens to shatter him into tiny pieces. 

“I—,” he huffs a quiet, caustic laugh. “They gave me a useless ability — they took away my sight — all I can do is, is tell how evil someone is or, or see their aura—whatever the  _ fuck  _ that even means—and, like, they even said...they even  _ told me to my face _ that they didn’t expect m-much of me and, and that I was gonna, gonna—.” Momotarou sputters, spiraling into a descent of cries that pull at Nagisa’s heart. 

Gently, Nagisa pulls the younger boy closer until he’s practically folded against his side; curling around him in a protective embrace.

“Why did they do that to us?” Momotarou breathes out, wet and grieving, against the curve of Nagisa’s neck. “Why did they do that to  _ me?” _

Nagisa cards his fingers through Momotarou’s hair, silent in the face of his grief and rage and sadness. Words lodge in his throat, but he swallows them. This is Momotarou’s chance to unravel the storm presses against his lungs.  

“I don’t know,” he echoes. “I’m sorry. I’m  _ so sorry.” _

The academy takes and it takes, and takes. They leave behind ghosts and memories; little wisps of what should’ve been, but never will be. 

Momotarou wheezes. He sounds like there’s a hole in his chest he tries to breathe around. There probably is. Nagisa closes his eyes, and continues playing with Momotarou’s hair. Lunch has ended, but he doesn’t care for his afternoon classes. Not while Momotarou is in such a state; not when he’s needed.

Nagisa has failed Momotarou once before. He isn’t going to do it again.

Class ends, but they don’t move. They sit there, contemplative and grieving. 

Maybe one day they’ll heal from their days in the Academy. Maybe one day Teikou will be a mere memory in their minds, but it’s too heavy at the moment. It lingers like a malignant apparition.

They breathe and, slowly, the shattered glass in their lungs start to fade. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it’s so short :’)

**Author's Note:**

> you get bonus points if you correctly guess who the character is at the end of ch1 :^)
> 
> Don't be afraid to send me prompts! I love them all! Also, if you have sent me some and I haven't written anything for it yet, I'm sorry! Life has gotten hectic so I had to put writing on the backburner for a bit. My tumblr is @dreamvevo (I used to be @sleepydekus). i also used to be dreamingunderthetstars on AO3.
> 
> .. i mainly did this because someone asked me to, but also because i wanted to compile my prompt-requests into someplace easily accessible :') a lot of these are extremely short lol


End file.
